Amber Alexander

Meteorologist

13 Fascinating Facts About Me:
1. I have been an athlete all of my life. In high school I played volleyball, tennis, and I was on the dance team. I could have played volleyball or tennis at a small college, but I was very career driven and gave them up.
2. Despite growing up in Iowa, my dad was raised in Omaha and I grew up a HUGE Nebraska Cornhuskers fan. GBR!
3. If it weren’t for the cost of school, I would have stayed much longer and obtained a second degree in mathematics and added minors in history and broadcast journalism. Instead, I graduated in 3.5 years, while working 2 jobs throughout my college career.
4. My favorite form of working out is a class called TurboKick which I consider to be a cross between kickboxing and dance. I even made up my own TurboKick routine in my spare time.
5. I am ALWAYS cold. If you were to walk into the news studio on any given day there’s a 75% chance I would be covered in a blanket and still have a jacket on.
6. Despite the cold, I recently discovered my love for snowshoeing in the mountains. I find the adventure of climbing up and down the snow to get to a certain view to be absolutely incredible.
7. I have a wide range in musical taste. I have everything from country and christian contemporary to dubstep and alternative rock as well as much more all within one playlist.
8.I loved swimming so much as a child that I used to have a special breathing technique because I could hold my breath longer than anybody else. My senior year of high school I got bronchitis and have never been able to breath the same again.
9. I had a golden retriever named Jade while growing up. She was my best friend for almost 10 years and the most loyal canine I have ever met. I now have a weakness for any golden retriever that I see.
10. Thanks to help of Pinterest, cooking is now one of my favorite hobbies. I can make a mean pink champagne cupcake, even ask my coworkers.
11. Even in my 20s I still go through weird food phases. In 2015 I ate brown sugar oatmeal with two scoops of crunch peanut butter in it every day for five months.
12. There are a handful of movies I can watch over and over again without ever being tired of them. Bridesmaids, Burlesque, Taken, Red Dawn, Footloose, and Soul Surfer are just a few.
13. I used to dislike beer with all of my being but have developed a taste for it over the past couple years, in fact I am loving all of the breweries that Des Moines has to offer. Any suggestions?

Meteorologist Amber Alexander joined the Channel 13 First Alert Storm Team in December 2015. Before WHO, Amber worked at KNOP in North Platte, Nebraska where she was as a meteorologist and reporter.
Amber earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Meteorology/Climatology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is a proud Husker. While at Nebraska she served as the secretary of the American Meteorological Society, Activities Director for the Nebraska Storm Chase Team and worked as an intern at the state climate office for two years. Amber first got her on-air experience by broadcasting for UNL’s student run newscast, Star City News. She was also an intern for KETV in Omaha, NE.
Amber has always loved storms, but discovered her new passion for meteorology while simply studying the material in the sixth grade. It was then that she decided she wanted to be a meteorologist.
Since she grew up in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Amber is very happy to be back in Iowa and closer to her family. Although she is not a fan of the cold winters, Amber is excited to be in an area that has all types of weather conditions. However, she is most fascinated by severe weather. During her time at Nebraska she loved to storm chase. She even caught her first tornado in Solomon, KS on her first ever storm chase trip with fellow students in April 2012.
Amber is looking forward to growing in her forecast abilities and providing the best weather report she can for Central Iowa.

Recent Articles

DES MOINES, Iowa –A strong storm system looks to make travel difficult over the weekend. There will be a chance for rain and snow. Rain may freeze on the roadways, creating slick conditions Friday night into Saturday. There will also be a change over from rain to snow and that looks to move through late Saturday into Sunday. A Winter Storm Warning will be in effect Saturday evening through Sunday evening. First and foremost: With a system like this, there […]

Light snow will continue through the early afternoon, but most of central Iowa will see less than an inch with this band. Overnight and early morning snow totals were generally between 3 and 6″. Much of the state got less snow than anticipated and those lower totals are thanks to drier air that worked its way in late last night. That typically cuts down snowfall totals, which is what we are experiencing this morning. This system in particular did not develop until later in the […]

This storm is lifting out at a faster rate than anticipated, and should wrapped up around 9:00 AM in the metro. Snow totals are expected to be between 2 and 5″ across the central part of the state. The lower totals are thanks to drier air that worked its way in late last night. That typically cuts down snowfall totals, which is what we are experiencing this morning. This system in particular did not develop until later in the day on Tuesday. When these […]

IOWA — Heavy snow is set to arrive late Saturday evening and continue through Sunday. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for the entire state of Iowa. For central Iowa, it lasts until 6 p.m. on Sunday. After a sunny Saturday afternoon, the next round of snow will arrive in central Iowa between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. The heaviest snow is expected early on in the event between 9 p.m. Saturday and 1 a.m. Sunday. Lighter snow is expected […]

DES MOINES, Iowa — A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for most of central Iowa from noon Monday until 3 PM on Tuesday. At 3 PM, a Winter Storm Warning takes effect. The southern tier of Iowa counties are under a Winter Weather Advisory from 9 AM Monday until Noon Tuesday; this is the area that will see a chance for not only snow, but also freezing drizzle/sleet. Current Weather Synopsis: Monday morning will be dry as the low develops […]

No precipitation is falling this morning, but some roads are starting off icy. Slow down and use caution through the late morning as road crews continue to treat these icy conditions. Another wave is on its way for tonight. A deep wave sitting across the western United States will move through the central US on Thursday. This will bring our next chance for a wintry mix of freezing drizzle, sleet, and snow. The best chance for this will be overnight […]

It’s a frigid Friday as temperatures start below zero this morning! The wind is now only 5-15 miles per hour, but that’s enough for it to feel like 20-30° below zero. A series of several waves are expected to impact the state throughout today, the weekend, and early next week. Today’s wave will bring a chance for snow late this morning into the early afternoon. Up to a half inch of snow is possible in central Iowa with up to […]

A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until 6:00 p.m. Thursday as the strong northwest wind is causing blowing snow to create icy roads across central Iowa. That wind is sustained at 20-30 mph. The wind will die down throughout the evening, so blowing snow won’t be much of an issue throughout the overnight and Friday. Mega Doppler-S Weather Warnings and Advisories Download the 13WarnMe App What we will see through Thursday night and Friday are dangerous wind chills. Even […]

Heavy snow fell across the metro Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. The DOT has been working hard to keep the roads drivable, but many secondary roads are still covered in snow. Thankfully, drier weather is headed our way throughout the afternoon. The sun will peek through the clouds and the wind will be a lot weaker. Mega Doppler-S Weather Warnings and Advisories Download the 13WarnMe App Thursday will be dry, but the wind will pick back up and cause problems once again. […]

The Winter Storm Warning goes until 9:00 a.m. Wednesday for much of central Iowa. Heavy snow fell across the metro through the early morning hours of Wednesday. The DOT has been working hard to keep the roads drivable, but many are still covered in snow. Drier weather is headed our way throughout the late morning and afternoon. Mega Doppler-S Weather Warnings and Advisories Download the 13WarnMe App So far totals are coming in between 4 and 7″ with isolated amounts […]

The next snow storm will impact all of Iowa on Friday, making visibility low and roads incredibly slick. This storm will develop across eastern Montana and the Dakotas early Friday morning and quickly push east during the morning hours. While the morning commute will not be affected by this storm, the evening commute will. Snow is expected to start in NW Iowa by the late morning hours. It will sit over the northern two tiers of counties, adding up quickly […]

Beginning in the early morning hours Thursday, we have our first of two disturbances that will impact Iowa. A shortwave moves through early in the morning. This will bring a mix of light precipitation of drizzle, freezing drizzle and some light snow. This may make roads slick again early on Thursday for the morning commute. Snow accumulation looks to stay under 1″. A stronger system will impact Iowa on Friday and Saturday. The combination of two different upper level waves will […]